Perth's Youth Homelessness Crisis: Urgent Need for Action

0:00This is Sydney News today, powered by AI and presented by the Daily News now. Youth homelessness is hitting hard in Perth, with services spotting 73 young people sleeping rough on one average night this month, but only three crisis beds available. Agencies are turning kids away left and right because demand is overwhelming. A coalition fighting child and youth homelessness is pushing for $150 million more from the state government to fix this. Sully knows the struggle firsthand after becoming homeless in his early 20s due to family issues and drugs. He couch-surfed, got deeper into addiction, and hit rot bottom before finding stable housing through support services. Now sober, he's advocating for more crisis spots to help others get a fresh start sooner. Services like Mission Australia could only help 10% of the 600 young people who reached out last year. frontline workers say early help is key, but too many kids exhaust options before getting aid, leaving them on the streets.

1:00The coalition's audit showed 320 young people aged 16 to 25 listed as homeless that same night, highlighting the urgent. Gap. They're calling for more beds, 5,000 social housing units a year, and prevention programs. Meanwhile, the homelessness minister points to over $25 million already invested in youth services, plus billions in housing since, 2021. But advocates insist it's not cutting it, especially with the state budget coming up. They want real action now to save lives. Quick thanks to today's sponsor, see the description for more. A pillow that plays your podcast, music, or white noise privately, no earbuds required, S-O-L-I-S-O-L-Pillow.com.